The Play's The Thing
by Harry Potterfan girl22
Summary: Have you ever wondered what REALLY happened during The Ember Island play? ...This is just what I think should have happened in "The Ember Island Player's" episode.
1. Jet's bad, Zuko's mad

_This is just a short little three-shot. =) I just love The Ember Island Players episode so much, it's my favorite, I decided to make a story about the little Zutara moments. So, please enjoy! The next chapter will be about the whole Crossroads of Destiny scene. =)_

_**Disclaimer:** I have been wishing for many years now, but I still do not own Avatar The Last Airbender…or Zuko. *sniffle*_

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><p>Katara rolled her eyes as she watched Actress-Katara sob over nothing. They really over exaggerated everyone's personalities. Sokka did not go on and on about how hungry he was every 5 minutes. Aang was definitely NOT a woman. And Katara wasn't a big cry baby who sobbed about hope all the time and never did anything daring.<p>

_I'm hopeful, and get emotional sometimes, but it's not a constant thing! I can be fun and daring! I went penguin sledding, I purposely got captured by the Fire Nation to free some earthbenders, and it was _my _idea_ _that got us into The Earth King's party!_

Katara scoffed out loud. Zuko, who was sitting next to her, looked at her curiously, "What?"

"People are jerks." Katara muttered angrily.

Zuko smiled at her a little and forced his attention back to the horrific play.

In just a few minutes, the play went from bad to worse.

"_You sicken me_!" Actor-Zuko said a little dramatically as Actor-Iroh stuffed his face with fake cake.

Zuko crossed his arms. "They make me look totally stiff and humorless!" He complained.

Katara smirked and folded her arms across her chest and said teasingly, "Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot-on."

Zuko turned to her and glared. "How could you say that?"

As if on cue, Actor-Iroh said, "_Let's forget about the Avatar and get massages_!"

Actor-Zuko was outraged and said, "_How could you say that!" _

Katara's grin grew even wider at the embarrassed look on Zuko's face. "Oh, be quiet…"

She giggled at how cute he looked when he was embarrassed.

**Zuko's P.O.V.**

I hate this more than I hate Azula. Although it's actually a little interesting to see the events that happened to Aang, Katara, and Sokka before I joined them, this play is beyond ridiculous. We're NOTHING like this! Even _I _can admit that. Whereas Toph just sits and laughs at the fact that her friends are being publicly humiliated.

Not only was it annoying and mean, but it also got awkward at some parts. When woman-Aang got rescued by the Blue Spirit, which by the way is ME, he/she said "My hero!"

Um, yeah…AWKWARD.

The minutes droned by until a guy with wildly large brown hair and a flower in his mouth came on stage. That must be Jet. To be honest, I didn't even know that they knew him. It was so odd to see him again, even if it wasn't actually him. Last time I saw him was in Ba Sing Se and he tried to kill me. Now here he is, being all romantic towards Katara…wait, what?

I leaned forward in my seat a little and watched the fake Jet say, "_Jet will wipe out this nasty town for you!"_, and wrapped his arms around the fake Katara.

I couldn't help but scowl. This is all fake. It's just a play, right? I'm sure none of that really happened. I mean, why would Katara like that jerk? I glanced at her and saw that she was blushing and looking anywhere but the stage.

"_Oh Jet, you're so _bad_."_

A small growling noise got caught in my throat. Toph burst into a fit of laughter. I, however, found nothing amusing about this situation. As much as I wanted it to be fake, the look on Katara's face said quite plainly I was wrong.

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><p><em>Okay, this is kind of choppy and bad and short, but I PROMISE the next two chapters are going to be a lot better! I hope you keep reading? Well, if you don't that's okay, I guess. But if you DO keep reading and like it, do you wanna review? <em>

_xAllie_


	2. A good sign

_Doesn't it hurt that you're only in love with celebrities or cartoons?_

_Anyways, this chapter I think is better than the last. It's not as choppy. So i hope you enjoy! The next chapter will be the last! =)_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender!_

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><p>You know that feeling when you really like someone but are afraid to tell them because you don't want to make things weird between each other? I don't. There were plenty of times when Aang hinted andor told Katara that he liked her, and things are still okay between them. So, if I told her, she wouldn't really have a problem with it.

Now, do you know the feeling when you like someone but are afraid to tell them because there's a huge war going on and you don't know who's going to die and who's not? I know I do.

Besides, even if the war does blow over, she's Aang's girl. I can't just…_take _her from him. What kind of friend would that make me? A pretty lousy one, if you ask me.

What knocked me out of my thoughts was the fake Jet. His eyes had gone all crazy, and he was swinging his swords around. Apparently he had been brainwashed in Lake Laogai by Long Feng and he was trying to kill Aang…

That would explain a lot.

The fake jet started screaming as a foam rock "crushed" him.

"Did Jet just…die?" I asked uncertainly.

"You know, it was _really _unclear." Sokka said.

I couldn't help but grin. I didn't have to worry about Jet and Katara anymore. But then I started feeling guilty. _I shouldn't be happy someone's dead._

The next scene was when Katara and I were trapped in the crystal catacombs.

_Great. Just great. People get to see how I brutally betrayed Katara. And even worse, _I_ get to see myself betray Katara. _

Even to this day I regret my decision of stabbing her in the back. After I watched her cry, after I told her about my mother, about my scar. Even after she offered to _heal _my scar; I even let her _touch _my scar, and I turned around and betrayed her. The memory rang in my mind.

**"_I thought you had changed!" Katara shouted._**

**"_I have changed." I said defiantly._**

Since I was expecting to see the fake Katara say "You're a terrible person, you know that?" I prepared myself for the real Katara shooting me a glare. But what I saw wasn't that. What I saw was something that made me freeze.

"_I must admit, Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive."_

"_You don't have to make fun of me!"_

"_But I mean it. I had eyes for you since you first captured me." _

I felt myself growing so hot it felt like I was on fire. I glanced at Katara and saw that she was blushing as well. But what really pleased me was the little smile on her lips.

We both gave each an awkward glance and scooted a couple inches away from each other. It wasn't that I wanted to, but it just seemed like the thing to do.

"_Wait! I thought you were the Avatar's girl!"_

The fake Katara laughed_. "The Avatar! He's like a little brother to me!"_

I smiled. _I knew it_, something inside my mind said in a sing-song voice.

"_Besides, how could he ever find out about this?" _And then the fake me and fake Katara took each other's hands and embraced.

I didn't even know a guy, especially me, could get so red in the face. Did people really think we'd make a good pair? I started to smile.

I guess that's a good sign.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading!<em>

_xAllie_


	3. Rocks and ducks can cause girls to blush

_Okay, so I personally LOVE this chapter! But I had to rewrtie this quite a bit, so the grammar is spelling maybe a little off...if so, just let me know (nicely, of course). _

_BY THE WAY...I SUCK at skipping rocks. So I have no idea how to do it correctly. So, don't be mad at me if the instructions Zuko gives her are...suckish. Please just ignore that. =) lol_

_**Disclaimer**: I do not nor have I ever owned Avatar The Last Airbender!_

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><p><strong>Katara's P.O.V.<strong>

By the time we left the play, there wasn't one smiling face. We were all still pretty ticked off about our characters in the play, but the tension was coming more from the ending. Azula killed Zuko with lightning and Fire Lord Ozai defeated Aang, and then the stage erupted in fake fire. Everyone in the audience was cheering and applauding, everyone except us.

The pressure building between us all was increasing every minute. None of us spoke a word during dinner. We were all just…too shocked and scared to even speak about it. It was up to us, more specifically Aang, to save the world. Aang had to defeat the Fire Lord or else the whole world would go up in flames.

Around 1 o' clock in the morning I had a horrible nightmare, and was really surprised when I felt tears on my face. The Fire Lord destroyed everything and everyone. He murdered all the people I cared the most about: Sokka, Dad, Aang, Toph, Suki, and…Zuko. I can't really explain why, but in my dream I was more upset about Zuko's death than any of my other friends. I was even more upset than I was about Aang.

That's crazy, right? I love Aang after all…don't I?

I finally got frustrated with myself and got out of bed. I slipped my clothes back on but didn't even bother to put my hair back up.

I opened my bedroom door and peaked around and saw that the coast was clear. I silently slunk through the home until I was outside.

The sky was pitch black and the gentle breezes felt good on this hot night. I wanted to be near water, just to feel at home. It was so dark out though, it was hard to see. I walked around for a moment or so, wondering where I was going, until the moon suddenly brightened. I smiled up at the shining orb in the sky.

"Thanks, Yue."

Able to see my way now, I found the most beautiful pond nearby. Lily pads floated on the surface and the moonlight caused the prettiest reflection. I sat on the ground and admired the pond, trying hard not to think about Aang…or Zuko, for that matter.

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><p><strong>Zuko's P.O.V.<strong>

Sitting on the window sill, I watched Katara at the pond. Seeing her trying to skip a rock was the most amusing thing ever. I chuckled as she threw the rock angrily at the water. But something was bothering me.

Why would she wake up in the middle of the night just to skip rocks? There had to be something that was upsetting her, and I was determined to find out.

On the way outside, I grabbed some bread from the kitchen and then I quickly hurried out before anyway woke up. I wanted to be with Katara, and Katara alone.

I began to sneak up behind her and hesitated. I knew full well that she was a master…I had to learn the hard way at the North Pole. And there was a large pond right in front of her if she wanted to water whip me….

I'll risk it.

I jabbed her hips with my fingers and she left out a cry and spun around to face me. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear. She looked scared out of her mind…and I was about to burst into laughter.

She was losing her balance and almost fell over, but I grabbed her shoulders and steadied her. I couldn't help but feel something as my hands touched her. But as quickly as the moment came, it left because when she realized it was me, she gave me a little shove.

I started laughing and she looked even more annoyed. "You were so scared!"

"I was _not_!" Katara said defensively.

"Hate to break it to you, Katara, but yeah, you were!"

Katara folded her arms across her chest and muttered, "Jerk."

I finally stopped laughing and shrugged apologetically, but still smiling. "Sorry."

As hard as she tried not to, her lips formed a grin. "I suppose I can forgive you if…"

"If…"

Despite the fact in was pitch black, I could see her blushing. "Teach me how to skip rocks." She said sheepishly.

I smiled, not smirked, smiled. "Sure." A plucked a smooth pebble from the water and faced Katara.

"Are you ready? Skipping rocks is a difficult process, you know."

Katara giggled and nodded. "I'll try my best to stay strong."

"Great! Okay, so what you have to do is find a really smooth rock." I watched Katara bend down and find one. "Okay, now you have to bring your arm down to your waist line and angle your arm like this." I demonstrated what to do and watched her do so.

"Now, bring your arm forward and snap your wrist in front of you."

My rock bounce across the pond and with a final _plunk _sound, the pebble sank.

I smiled, "Your turn."

Katara hesitated but flung her arm back and snapped her wrist at the water and, incredibly, her rock went farther than mine did!

"I did it!" Katara squealed with a huge grin plastered on her face. "I did it, Zuko!"

I grinned at her. "I knew you could."

Katara giggled and we just stood there for a moment, skipping rocks. Finally, I got the courage to ask her.

"Katara, why are you even out here?"

Katara stopped smiling and looked down. "I just needed to think."

Wow. That was the easiest, blandest answer you could have received. "What about?" I pressed.

Katara didn't reply right away. She looked out at the water and her eyes seemed glazed. "About the war and…other things,"

I looked away for a second, contemplating on how to go about this situation. "What other things?"

Katara sighed and I could see scarlet cloud her beautiful face. "You know…Aang."

_Of course_. I really didn't want to hear about Aang right now. But being the amazingly nice person I am, I pretended like I was interested.

"What's there to think about, Katara? You like him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"That's the thing, Zuko…I thought I did. But now…I'm not so sure I do anymore."

Whether you gave me all the money in the world or told me Azula and my father surrendered, nothing would have made me happier than hearing that sentence.

"So…you _don't_ like Aang anymore?" I asked, trying not to sound too gleeful.

Katara frowned, thinking it over. "No, Zuko…I don't think I do."

A silence fell between us. The only noise I could hear was our breathing. Finding my voice, I asked, "Why not?"

"I guess I _never_ really loved him. I just felt like I had to…the hero always get's the girl, right? I guess I just feel like our relationship is forced…if you know what I mean?"

I did. I really did. I wasn't just agreeing with her, I really did know how she felt. "I do, Katara. You feel like…like you're being guilted into the relationship. Everyone expects you to be a couple, so you think you should too."

Katara looked at me in surprise. "That's exactly how I feel. You think it's the right thing. It'll make everyone around you happy, except yourself. And you're afraid to break it off because…"

"Because you don't want to hurt them. Yeah…I know that feeling too."

We stood there in silence again until Katara spoke softly. "I just don't want Aang to hate me; he's like a brother to me."

"Are you kidding? Aang could never hate you."

Katara began to smile.

"Even if things do turn out bad, I'll be there for you, Katara." I said the words before I knew they were coming out of my mouth.

Katara's eyes were shining now. "Really?"

And without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her close to me. I felt Katara easily melt into the embrace. "I always will be, Katara." I murmured into her hair.

We stayed like that for a minute, in each other's arms. Although I eventually had to, I didn't want to let go of her.

We finally broke apart and stared at each other for a moment before I pulled out the bread and broke it into pieces. "Let's feed some turtle-ducks."

Katara smiled and bent down on the ground next to me. "So," Katara said throwing a crumb at the cute little creature, "how about that play? It was pretty weird, huh?"

I shrugged ripping another piece of bread. "I guess…but there was one certain scene I didn't mind."

"Which one was that?" Katara asked me curiously.

I just looked at her, blushing with a grin on my face. Katara suddenly blushed and looked away, smiling.

"Um…give me some more bread." She said.

I smiled at her and we sat there the whole night feeding the turtle-ducks, skipping rocks, and watching each other bend. Finally after a few hours, we lie down on the grass and slowly fell asleep, Katara's head leaning on my shoulder.

This…is _so _much better than the play.

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><p><em>YAY! Happy ending! =D I hope this story brought laughs and little "Awwwww" moments. <em>

_See that button that says 'review'? Well, if you click if transports you to the land of Avatar! ;)_

_Thanks for reading this pointless story! I hope to make more of these soon. =)_

_xAllie_


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